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Thread: Have around 10k, thinking of a 540i?

  1. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by SkyylineGTR View Post
    Thanks for all the responses.

    I'm not going to be driving it everyday. Around 3-4 times a week. And it wont be more than 15 miles in a day.

    Are you guys just having the issues from it being your daily car? This will be my main car, just I don't drive everyday.

    10k is my budget for buying the car, I should have money to replace minor problems.
    Mine will be my daily driver; however, I just picked it up Thursday, so I don't think that is the cause of my issues;-)

    Any 10 year old car with 100k+ miles is going to have issues. I don't think failing o2 sensors is unusual for any car with 125k miles. BMWs are complex cars with more parts, and therefore more things to go wrong. Even when shopping online, the parts will be more expensive than something like an Accord. An E39 540 didn't cost $55k when new just because of the roundel.

    They have their weak points too. The cooling system is ridiculous. It isn't insane for a radiator to spring a leak once a car gets into six figure mileage, but they generally don't fail as spectacularly as with a 540. It is also more than a high mileage risk with the 540 - from what I have read it is basically inevitable.

    The failure rate of the window regulators isalso ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is what it could cost to have someone else fix it for me. Reading through the threads on fixing these regulators, one forum member was quoted $270 for labor. Combined with the cost of the part and tax, and you are looking at almost $600 just to have a window go up and down again. Even if my indy shop only charged me 1 hour of labor, it would still be almost $400. And somehow I doubt that is the first regulator to fail on my car during its lifetime. Just a bad design.

    I admit I have owned this car for less than a week, and it is actually my first BMW. I have wanted one for a long time though, and did a considerable amount of research before purchasing. I started threads like yours when I became serious about it, and if my "maintenance" costs pile up, there will be a few forum members that get to say "I told you so." Based on where I am in life right now, I felt comfortable enough with the risk to pull the trigger. I admit I am still nervous though.

    Even with DIY, you have to think about what your time is worth. I think it's cool to get to know the car better and learn about doing my own repairs, but I'll be pissed if I have to continually tell my friends that I can't come out because I have to spend my weekends laying underneath a car.

  2. #27
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    I think everyone needs to take a deep breath and stop attacking each other and discuss civilly. Now hug your teddy bear BEFORE you respond

  3. #28
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    Oh and keep in mind, people who have excessive problems will be more motivated to make sure everyone hears their story to "protect" everyone else, so u may see many more people on forums and every complaining via word of mouth, while many people who are doing just fine and just enjoy the car dont feel like they have to yell to the world just how "fine" their car is running.

  4. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by adam1979 View Post
    Mine will be my daily driver; however, I just picked it up Thursday, so I don't think that is the cause of my issues;-)

    Any 10 year old car with 100k+ miles is going to have issues. I don't think failing o2 sensors is unusual for any car with 125k miles. BMWs are complex cars with more parts, and therefore more things to go wrong. Even when shopping online, the parts will be more expensive than something like an Accord. An E39 540 didn't cost $55k when new just because of the roundel.

    They have their weak points too. The cooling system is ridiculous. It isn't insane for a radiator to spring a leak once a car gets into six figure mileage, but they generally don't fail as spectacularly as with a 540. It is also more than a high mileage risk with the 540 - from what I have read it is basically inevitable.

    The failure rate of the window regulators isalso ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is what it could cost to have someone else fix it for me. Reading through the threads on fixing these regulators, one forum member was quoted $270 for labor. Combined with the cost of the part and tax, and you are looking at almost $600 just to have a window go up and down again. Even if my indy shop only charged me 1 hour of labor, it would still be almost $400. And somehow I doubt that is the first regulator to fail on my car during its lifetime. Just a bad design.

    I admit I have owned this car for less than a week, and it is actually my first BMW. I have wanted one for a long time though, and did a considerable amount of research before purchasing. I started threads like yours when I became serious about it, and if my "maintenance" costs pile up, there will be a few forum members that get to say "I told you so." Based on where I am in life right now, I felt comfortable enough with the risk to pull the trigger. I admit I am still nervous though.

    Even with DIY, you have to think about what your time is worth. I think it's cool to get to know the car better and learn about doing my own repairs, but I'll be pissed if I have to continually tell my friends that I can't come out because I have to spend my weekends laying underneath a car.
    Me and you, are much alike. If I get this car, it will be a GREAT learning experience for future cars. I want to DIY. I like trying to fix things on my own. But I'm also a lil scared of serious problems where I cant DIY. I'm not really worried about the cosmetics or "luxery" parts of the car, but more of the performance. Will it break down on me? Will it become undrivable for a number of days? It's that kind of thing that is making me debate still.

  5. #30
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    Also, when am I able to post links? It would help you guys a lot if I can show you what I'm looking at

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by SkyylineGTR View Post
    Me and you, are much alike. If I get this car, it will be a GREAT learning experience for future cars. I want to DIY. I like trying to fix things on my own. But I'm also a lil scared of serious problems where I cant DIY. I'm not really worried about the cosmetics or "luxery" parts of the car, but more of the performance. Will it break down on me? Will it become undrivable for a number of days? It's that kind of thing that is making me debate still.
    I hear ya. From what I have read, the only thing unique to the E39 that can leave you stranded is the cooling system. I think there are some quirks that can drain the battery on you too.

    Suspension has to be pretty bad before it becomes dangerous, bad emissions components won't make it undriveable. The window regulator certainly doesn't make it undriveable, but it is more annoying in practice than I expected. I barely missed a torrential downpour on my way home from picking it up, and I don't have a garage to put it in. I also wouldn't be thrilled about parking it in a lot of areas with a window down.

    If you don't need to rely on this thing monday through friday of every week and have some financial padding as well as the time to figure out repairs yourself, you'll probably be fine.

  7. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by adam1979 View Post
    I hear ya. From what I have read, the only thing unique to the E39 that can leave you stranded is the cooling system. I think there are some quirks that can drain the battery on you too.

    Suspension has to be pretty bad before it becomes dangerous, bad emissions components won't make it undriveable. The window regulator certainly doesn't make it undriveable, but it is more annoying in practice than I expected. I barely missed a torrential downpour on my way home from picking it up, and I don't have a garage to put it in. I also wouldn't be thrilled about parking it in a lot of areas with a window down.

    If you don't need to rely on this thing monday through friday of every week and have some financial padding as well as the time to figure out repairs yourself, you'll probably be fine.
    Thanks for the help. But wait, E39? I'm looking at a E36. Or it's the same thing..? lol.

  8. #33
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    Oh...didn't know you had decided on the M3. I was talking about the 540. Doesn't matter, as far as I can tell the cooling system sucks on all BMWs. The 540 just seems to be a little worse off than other models in this area.

  9. #34
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    True from what I heard too. Past couple of weeks, I've been doing research about the 540i and the e36 m3. Every car is going to have problems...esp after 100k. Right now, I'm reallllllly going with the e36.

  10. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by CABimmer View Post



    Is it a lemon or a problem car, HELL NO. Its a rocket and takes some money to keep it in top shape. Go buy a honda or a lexus if you want a problem free cruiser.

    I just picked up a 00 540 for 10k and drove it 2000 miles home with no issues. I took it on myself to replace about $2k in parts. The dealer price was over $7,000. Car is rock solid now and I expect it to run for many years and will require more money to keep it in top shape. Thats the price we all pay to smile everytime we get in our cars.
    I had a 95 M3 and other then a MAF at 80k and an O2...it had minimal problems. The newer the BMW, the more issues arrive with them. The cost associated with replacing things isn't 100k....it's 75k for major components.

    My favorite link since you can't argue with it and the work to replace all that crap is well into the thousands:

    http://edgemotorworks.com/index.php?...d=27&Itemid=55

  11. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by dbruce View Post
    I had a 95 M3 and other then a MAF at 80k and an O2...it had minimal problems. The newer the BMW, the more issues arrive with them. The cost associated with replacing things isn't 100k....it's 75k for major components.

    My favorite link since you can't argue with it and the work to replace all that crap is well into the thousands:

    http://edgemotorworks.com/index.php?...d=27&Itemid=55
    Those might be common problems on an E39, but they don't necessarily all fail at once. I'm also surprised to see the subframe listed, I thought that applied more to non-M e36 and early e46s. Other items would be a concern for any high mileage car, such as the o2 sensors and various belts. The suspension depends on the roads in your area. My Mazda Protege, which is considered a very reliable car, was leaking oil from the front struts by 60k. The rears followed shortly after.

    Furthermore, if you look at the checklist for other BMW models, it is almost exactly the same. Cooling and suspension always constitute the majority of the list.

  12. #37
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    get one even cheaper, keep looking, they're bound to run into some issues so have some money set aside and do some preventative repairs.. Still a superb car. The 540 is a monster, window regulators and trash like that are things guys on here have fun fixing, wimps go cry to the stealer. Look in the regionals section make some friends in your neighborhood too. I'm 21 and this car is teaching me a whole lot. Go for it, even a 528 is good. Look for Sports Pack though.

  13. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by torqueoversteer View Post
    Was that on you're vocabulary word
    Your*
    With good feelings!

    I agree you should be VERY careful buying a 540. I know 3 guys with one (here's my personal experience) and they all have substantially more repairs and costs than I do with my I6. I personally wouldn't get one pre-2000.


    2007 550i Sport - Jet Black - Muffler Gone ^^ (3.5" SS pipes>2x 3" tips), Smoked LED side markers, ECU Tune

  14. #39
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    I would stay away from the 540i if I were you.
    UNless you get a SUPERFUNKYwarranty

    I do the majority of my own work and still have easily exceeded 3k in parts alone in 1 year EASILY!
    I have closer to 25k in reciepts w/75% of them being dealer/warranty.


    I absolutly agree with tourquoversteer
    And to be honest. Im kinda getting sick of having to work on this car so
    much.
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  15. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by adam1979 View Post

    Furthermore, if you look at the checklist for other BMW models, it is almost exactly the same. Cooling and suspension always constitute the majority of the list.
    On BMW's, yes it's across the entire line. The list I put up also doesn't go into the issues specific to the V8, which there are quite a few.

    For a prospective buyer, know what you're getting into. The link I posted goes into the items in detail and you won't find a shop owner that services the E39 tell you they are cheap to own.

    I love the car, hate the "maintenance."

    I also believe BMW makes a killing off selling parts. The current car prices for a new BMW have gone up....but not to the extent of the Euro. Parts prices have skyrocketed for anything you need to get from BMW. As an example, I recently purchased the subframe bushings for my Touring and the price came to 85 or so each after a Tischer discount. They were 50 from the same location only 6 to 9 months ago. The buttons on the climate control(more cheap recycled plastic), which like to fall out, used to be $20 bucks.....they now retail for $90. Like it or not, the costs of owning a used BMW have gone up big time.

    I believe BMW makes a killing on parts sales and it's not by accident.
    Last edited by dbruce; 07-29-2008 at 09:58 AM.

  16. #41
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    Torqueoversteer,

    Well put on your comments by fanboy or whoever that idiot is. Total XXXX not even worth mentioning. These forums are to trade info and learn and enjoy each other’s cars and not to act like a dude who says FTW all the time. He needs a therapist at best.
    Last edited by JimLev; 01-20-2019 at 04:52 PM. Reason: And you noobie need to read the rules, OK

  17. #42
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    ^__asking questions about a 10 year old post?

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    ^__asking questions about a 10 year old post?
    Forum noobs :

  19. #44
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    what year is this 540 and is it a E 39 or a later 540? Big difference between the "e" cars and the later ones.

  20. #45
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    Man this thread is old. Me I'd rather a 540i over a M3.

  21. #46
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    geargrinder is offline Having No Trouble Here BMW CCA Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by JimLev View Post
    ^__asking questions about a 10 year old post?
    people.

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  22. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    people.

    LOL Good Mike-meme, GG. I may have to borrow this.
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  23. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by geargrinder View Post
    people.

    Priceless.

  24. #49
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    You'll be broke buying that 540 for that money.
    With that money buy a 99-2000 528 for 3 grands than invest the rest you'll get your money back in 2 years and the 528 M52TU will run forever.

  25. #50
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    Well, now that Obama is coming into office we do have to think twice about big purchases like an 8 year old e39. My buddy said I should invest in a new thing called “Facebook” but I told him that is nonsense. Pretty sure 2008 is going to be a great year for real estate. If that goes the way I think it will, maybe an M5 huh?


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